The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Pelargonium, botanically known as Pelargonium peltatum, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘KLEPP08212’. ‘KLEPP08212’ was produced by grafting the Pelargonium plant ‘Mexicanerin’ (unpatented), which contains a unique viroid that causes dichroism, with the Pelargonium plant ‘Royal Scarlet’ (unpatented). ‘Mexicanerin’ was the rootstock and ‘Royal Scarlet’ was the scion. The selection criterion for the scion was good red color, zonated leaf, and good growth and branching. After the grafting method, shoot tip cuttings were taken and propagated. The viroid of ‘Mexicanerin’ passed to the grafting and yielded a new phenotype of bi-colored red-white. There was variation among the plants and selections were made based on color intensity. A single plant selection was subsequently chosen for further evaluation and for asexual propagation via vegetative cuttings. While the mechanism of the viroid is not known, the new trait of dichroism is stable and heritable in that it is passed on to future generations through asexual propagation without the rootstock. The selection criteria used to obtain the final variety was color, growth, and earliness of flowering.
The new cultivar was created in 2006 in Stuttgart, Germany and has been asexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings in Stuttgart, Germany over three to four generations. ‘KLEPP08212’ has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive asexual propagations.
Plant Breeder's Rights for this cultivar have not been applied for. ‘KLEPP08212’ has not been made publicly available more than one year prior to the filing date of this application.